Paxton said the scale of Bush’s offending was discovered by chance when, while he was on holiday in the US, he asked two funeral directors from another firm to remove a body from a care home.
Patrick Moore, a casual worker at Legacy, had been told by Bush “not to bring anyone back to Legacy”, Paxton said.
The court heard the undertakers became suspicious and asked Moore how many bodies were at the site.
Paxton said Moore counted up to 29 bodies and described it as something from a “horror scene”, adding: “You two don’t know the half of it, bodies have been there for years.”
The undertakers were “shaken” and flagged down a passing police car, the court was told.
During searches, officers found a brown paper bag containing a tiny item they initially thought was a baby bird.
They then saw two hospital wristbands wrapped around the waist that read “Baby of Jasmine Beverley, born on 13/05/22 at 05:04”, Paxton said.
The funeral home was also described as “dirty and unkempt”, with flowers, teddies and cards strewn on the floor – items “loved ones would have wanted” for their deceased family members.
